Los Angeles history

At the Opening Gavel, Assurance and Doubt

"Kennedy Claims 761” means Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass.) says he has enough delegates to take the nomination on the first ballot, a crucial point in jockeying among the candidates.

July 12, 1960: Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho) hammers on the themes of the economy, Communism and the Eisenhower administration in opening the 1960 Democratic National Convention.

Ever the GOP stalwart, Times Political Editor Kyle Palmer used his column to rebuke the Democrats, saying: "There was nothing the young man said which could not with equal force be answered by defenders of the Republican record."

Unfortunately, there’s a small gap on the microfilmed edition, so part of Palmer’s column is missing. At one point, he said: “many newspapermen present, not easily stirred, wondered cynically if Republican keynoter, Rep. [Walter H.] Judd [R-Minn.], would do better or as well at Chicago a few days” [from now -- actually July 25 -- lrh].

In a noteworthy counterpoint, The Times also published an appraisal by James Reston of the New York Times, who said: "... despite all the booze that fortifies courage and the loudspeakers that magnify a false appearance of confidence, this convention is dealing with issues that compel doubt in every honest man from the lowliest delegate with his half-vote to Kennedy himself.

Reston also says: "The most popular joke of the convention among Democrats is one of those glowering pictures of Nixon, with a caption reading: 'Would you buy a used car from this man?' "